Number 26, Mike Zigomanis (A Life in Agate)

1.  "Mike Zigomanis has played a lot of games in the league," Wilson said.

2. He is a solid fourth-line center, but does not score enough to be useful in fantasy leagues.

3. 2001/06/23: Re-entered NHL draft. Drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2nd round (46th overall) in 2001.

4. 2006/01/30: St. Louis Blues traded Doug Weight and the rights to Erkki Rajamaki to the Carolina Hurricanes for Jesse Boulerice, Mike Zigomanis, the rights to Magnus Kahnberg, a 1 st and a 4th round selections in 2006 and a 4th round selection in 2007.

5. 2008/10/09: Phoenix Coyotes traded Mike Zigomanis to the Pittsburgh Penguins for future considerations.

6. Having terrific vision, soft hands and adept in a passing touch, and great skill on the faceoff, Zigomanis has molded his role as a third-line playmaker.

7.  Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nazem Kadri was instead skating with the rest of the healthy scratches, running drills alongside minor-league veterans Mike Zigomanis, Danny Richmond and Jay Rosehill.

8. Outside Shot: Joey Crabb, Andrew Crescenzi, Jerry D'Amigo, Brayden Irwin, Marcel Mueller, Brad Ross,  Kenny Ryan, Mike Zigomanis, Keith Aulie, Jeff Finger (due to his contract not his playing ability), Simon Gysbers, Korbinian Holzer, Matt Lashoff

9. "I've been put on waivers a couple of times, probably been transferred more than the whole team has collectively," he said. "So it's nothing new to me."

10. Zigomanis provided faceoff and penalty killing expertise to Pittsburgh.

11. "The most memorable thing that comes to mind when I think of Zigomanis is how there was a glitch in one of the EA NHL games (2003 or something) that caused him to look absolutely huge."

12. The 1999-2000 saw the team as another team of destiny. With strong goaltending provided by Andrew Raycroft and returning forwards Mike Zigomanis and Sean Avery, the team early in the season was ranked as high as 5th in the entire Canadian Hockey League consisting of 54 teams. This time unfortunately injuries decimated the team

13. il rejoint les Blues de Saint-Louis mais encore une fois passe plus de temps avec l'équipe de la LAH affiliée, les Rivermen de Peoria, et il change une nouvelle fois d'équipe lors de la saison suivante et signe en tant qu'agent libre avec les Coyotes de Phoenix en juillet 2006

14. Mike has discovered that pilates has really increased his flexibility and conditioning. "And it doesn't hurt that the instructors are gorgeous," he smiles.

15 A Hummer limousine pulled up outside the Duchess and Zigomanis and his pals rolled in to head off for an evening of partying in Toronto. At a traffic light, the limo pulled up beside a car of young ladies. Mike held the Stanley Cup up through the sunroof of the Hummer and watched as the ladies nearly veered off the road. Through the windows, it was easy to read their lips: 'Oh my God!'

16. Zigomanis' agent, Kurt Overhardt, said this afternoon that "I think it's a fait accompli" that he will not have any additional discussions with the Penguins about them retaining his client.

17. Other than his NHL prospects, Michael leads a relatively normal life. Although he is known as "the hockey guy" at school, no one is seeking him out for autographs-yet. "I've been told that playing hockey makes me walk like a penguin," he laughs. While hockey is his main priority, Zigomanis, an OAC student at Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy in Markham, plans to major in business at Queens University at some point in his life.

16. He is of Greek descent.

17. "When the smoke cleared from quick-draw Mike Zigomanis going 5-for-5 on faceoffs this past Saturday night, there was a new sheriff in Dot City."

18. That above? That's beat writing. That's cranking it out. ‪You read that from a folded over newspaper in an auto body parking lot, coffee steam and cigarette smoke mingling in the crystal morning air‬. That's thirty years of buying that same coffee, one day realizing that 30 years of your life went by like a goddamn freight train.Gone. A cup of coffee, six games in the show and down for life. 

19. ""I played my second NHL game here back in 2002 (for Carolina) and got 12 tickets," Zigomanis recalled. "That was a lot of money at the time and I didn't think about it until I got my Visa bill. But most people know they don't hand us a whole roll of free tickets"

20. But after his fifth game with the Marlies, it was relayed to Zigomanis through his agent that Maple Leafs' GM Brian Burke would not be offering him a spot in the NHL this season.

21.He recalled taking the train to Kingston with his parents and then-team owner Wren Blair and seeing the Memorial Centre for the first time, "the biggest rink I'd played in up to that time," he pointed out.

At his first training camp, the 16-year-old rookie was wholly confident of sticking around for the long run. Either that or he was simply showcasing a keen fashion sense.

"[Teammate] Jason Sands watched me unpack and said, 'You've got enough clothes here for the next four years,' " Zigomanis said.

22. Zigomanis was credited with being on Pittsburgh's Stanley Cup team in 2009, but had suffered season-ending shoulder surgery and spent last year split between Sweden and the AHL Marlies.

23. Mike Zigomanis won the fourth-line centre job over John Mitchell, who will be a healthy scratch.

24. There's also a fourth unit that will start with journeyman centre Mike Zigomanis between Colton Orr and Mike Brown

25. A Scarborough, Ont., native who still remembers Gary Leeman scoring his 50th goal for the Maple Leafs back in 1989-90, Zigomanis is just happy to be back playing in the NHL.

26. Prospect. Good looking kid. Smart kid. Could help. Gotta add some muscle. Lacks pro size. Hands. Vision. Plugger. Could help. Yo-yo. On your top line you'd be in trouble. Knows how to play. Healthy scratch. Fourth liner. Healthy scratch. Energy. Fourth liner. I know why I'm here. Kelly told me once that you have stop letting them say what you are before what they say gets bad. If you wait till after it's too late. Is it too late? I know why I'm here.


26. Number 46, Mike Zigomanis. Number 18, Mike Zigomanis. Number 41, Mike Zigomanis. Number 15, Mike Zigomanis. Number 26, Mike Zigomanis.